Harry Whitver
When every competitive edge counts, offering a home that reduces sound transmission between floors and rooms, as well as from the outside, can create an attractive option for home buyers seeking refuge from an increasingly noisy world.
Building codes have long addressed and set standards for sound transmission for single-family homes, and several solutions exist, but consumer demand for quieter homes has not effected much change in building practices to date. That said, surround-sound, cathedral ceilings, hard-surface floors, and in-town or second-tier lot locations combine to create environments where peace and quiet can be scarce—and valued.
While some older methods are subject to “field failure” or improper installation that renders them less effective, material and building science is advancing with solutions that better suit standard building practices, albeit at a cost premium, to reduce impact, ambient, and/or flanking noise and deliver a more comfortable indoor environment.
